Nelly Remembers His Sister
- Nelly, 46, has been winning fans on Dancing with the Stars; he dedicated a recent performance to his sister, Jackie, who died of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in 2005.
- AML is a cancer of the bone marrow; bone marrow produces red and white blood cells and platelets.
- Nelly launched bone marrow drives to help find a donor match for Jackie; bone marrow biopsies and transplants are performed on leukemia patients.
Understanding Acute Myelogenous Leukemia
After Nelly’s sister was diagnosed with AML in 2001 she had treatment and her cancer went into remission for two years, but later returned. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres, Director of the Leukemia Program at the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center, spoke to SurvivorNet about acute myeloid leukemia, and how this disease progresses. "To understand acute myeloid leukemia [AML], you have to understand how the bone marrow works," said Dr. Sekeres. "The bone marrow is the factory that makes all of the cells that wind up in our bloodstream."Dr. Sekeres explained, "When a person has a cancer of the bone marrow, such as acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndromes, that factory gets broken. These are cancersCancers grow, and they grow in an uncontrollable way."
Related: After an AML Diagnosis, Knowing Your Risk Group is Important for Treatment
And AML is unique in its development. “Instead of being a cancer in the breast,” said Dr. Sekeres, “where somebody develops a lump, or a cancer in the lungs, where somebody might develop a mass, with these sort of ‘liquid’ tumors, the cells grow within a very confined space of the bone marrow. As these cancers grow and grow and grow, those normal bone marrow cells that make the red blood cells, the white blood cells, and the platelets start to die off, and the bone marrow gets filled with cancer cells. So there’s a bit of a paradox with these cancers: The bone marrow has too many cells, yet the bloodstream has too few cells as the normal bone marrow cells die off.”
Related: Do Benzene and Formaldehyde Cause Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)?
While fighting the disease, Donahue searched for a bone marrow donor who would be a match. Nelly’s campaign, Jesus 4 Jackie, was launched to find a donor match and raise awareness around bone marrow donations. Despite the many bone marrow drives organized by Nelly, a match was never found for Donahue. She passed away in March 2005, leaving behind two children.
What is Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)?
Bone Marrow Biopsies for AML Patients
Since AML is a cancer of the bone marrow, bone marrow biopsies are required to diagnose leukemia. Bone marrow is the spongy tissues inside the body’s larger bones. A bone marrow biopsy shows whether or not the bone marrow is producing a normal amount of blood cells. Throughout treatment, doctors use this procedure to monitor progress.
Related: What Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Patients Should Expect During A Bone Marrow Transplant
Dr. Tara Lin of the University of Kansas Medical Center told SurvivorNet what AML patients can expect from a bone marrow biopsy. “The easiest places to get bone marrow in the body are from the sternum and from the big bones at the back of your hips. And the area is cleaned to prevent infection. A local numbing medicine is given.”
Related: Advancements in Treating Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
“Then,” Dr. Lin said, “a needle is inserted and extracts some of the liquid bone marrow, which is called an aspirate, and then also a tiny chip of bone, which is called the biopsy itself. And from that bone marrow biopsy and aspirate, what we can do is actually make slides and look at cells under the microscope with our eyes to get a better sense of are all the cells there. Are the cells normal? Do they look abnormal? And then we do additional testing from there to further characterize any abnormal cells that may be present.”
What Do Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Patients Experience During A Bone Marrow Biopsy?
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